Gamers love in-game ads, ad industry-sponsored survey reveals

Sell it to me

Sony has only just given the green light on advertisements in videogames, but a study’s already found that the vast majority of gamers really don’t mind being barraged by sales slogans during gameplay.

Over 80 per cent of gamers feel videogames are still just as enjoyable with ads as without, according to a study conducted on behalf of in-game advertisement firm IGA Worldwide and which talked to 1300 gamers. The study even found that, on average, gamers’ positive opinion of a product improved by 61 per cent once it had been featured in a videogame.

Earlier this month, Sony announced that it would begin allowing “dynamic” in-game advertising onto PlayStation 3 titles. Anyone wanting to plug their product in a videogame has to go through Sony’s dedicated partner, which is – yup, you guessed it - IGA Worldwide.

Dave Anderson, senior director of business development at Activision, said: “From the research it is clear that the overwhelming majority of consumers enjoyed the gaming experience just as much, if not more, with dynamic ads present."

No titles featuring in-game ads have been released since Sony gave the green light, but with such damningly positive research, salesmen are surely speeding up their advertising departments to get ads into games soon.